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Strait of Hormuz flare-up
Iran said it attacked an American ship in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media, with Press TV reporting that an unmanned U.S. military vessel was attacked by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Iran has said that it attacked an American ship in the Strait of Hormuz”
The Hill reports that an IRGC statement said the vessel had been trying to go into a restricted portion in the Strait of Hormuz, and the IRGC warned that every move by the enemy would be met with a decisive attack.
In the same escalation, the Hill says U.S. Central Command (Centcom) conducted strikes on multiple Iranian crude oil carriers due to “multiple unprovoked” attacks from Iran on two American warships, and Centcom said there were no U.S. service members harmed.
CBC adds that Iran’s claim came as the U.S. and Iran traded retaliatory attacks on ships after a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian communities along it again being targeted.
CBC also says the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, and that after a ceasefire agreement was announced in June, on-and-off fighting persisted as negotiations collapsed.
Retaliation and competing claims
The Hill reports that Centcom Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said, “Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost —taking out three of yours,” and added that the U.S. would not hesitate to defend American forces.
BBC says the U.S. military claimed it had “permanently disabled” two Iran-linked oil tankers, including one near Kharg Island, and “completely destroyed” a third in the Gulf of Oman, while Iran’s state media confirmed the strikes and said Tehran attacked three U.S.-affiliated vessels in response.
BBC also reports that the IRGC warned ships against transiting the strait through routes unauthorized by Iran, and that it said Tehran had attacked three U.S.-affiliated vessels as well as three oil tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz along an “unauthorised” route.
The Hill further states that both the U.S. and Iran ramped up military operations last week, with the U.S. carrying out about 100 strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday and Tehran responding by targeting U.S. military bases and allies via strikes across the Middle East.
BBC adds that a 60-day ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran formally expired last month, with little sign of a further diplomatic settlement on the horizon.
What’s at stake next
The New York Times frames the Strait of Hormuz as a “lethal stalemate,” saying the U.S. military has sought to protect tankers from Iranian attacks for months while Iran continues attacking ships and scaring operators away.
“The strait is neither fully closed nor fully opened”
The New York Times reports that on Saturday the United States struck three Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for what it said were unprovoked attempts by Iran to attack two U.S. warships, and it says the strait remained neither fully closed nor fully opened.
It quotes Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, saying, “The strait is neither fully closed nor fully opened,” and adds that “Iran can’t close it completely, and the U.S. can’t open it completely.”
BBC says the squeeze on the strait has raised energy prices globally, and it notes that Trump declared the strait is “open” while the U.S. military has been helping ships navigate the southern route.
NPR reports that the U.S. military said the three Iranian oil tankers it struck were part of a “multibillion-dollar shadow network” that funds the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its regional proxies, linking the maritime fighting to the flow of money and sanctions evasion.